Craig's Royal Hotel

The Hotel has beautiful charm. Its decor is beautiful. The furniture was amazing. It has been well restored. The bed was comfortable.

Our room had a lot of big furniture in it for a small room so it was hard to put our suitcases in the room without being in the way. We had a two night stay and our room was not serviced during this time. Would have been happy if the rubbish bin had been emptied. We had a car space in the reserved parking lot and each time we wanted to get into it we had to phone the hotel for them to put the roller door up. Would be better if there was a sensor where you swipe your room key to enter.

Breakfast was excellent especially the granola and the very accommodating waitress. Dinner was excellent and the waitress again! Great being in the center of the city. Access to the balcony outside was good. Loved the decor especially in the function rooms.

Wanted to go for a drink about 6pm. No bartender and the air-con was pumping out cold air making it possible to sit back and relax, needed a coat. It was about 23 outside! So went back to the room. Very slow at dinner between entree and main course arrived at 7pm main course about 8.30pm. Room stuffy, very little space to put out luggage.

What a wonderful historic hotel with charm and beauty. The room had a great view over the Town Hall. I loved the antique furniture both in my room and throughout the hotel. Amber at reception gave me excellent service both on arrival and throughout my stay. She was very friendly and helpful. The bed was very comfortable with soft fluffy pillows and doona. The room was lovely and warm. The hotel is in an excellent location with everything within minutes of walking. The meals in the hotel’s restaurant are fabulous from breakfast to dinner! Thank you for having me!

Location is great. Hotel is very atmospheric and lovely. The room was a generous size and luxurious.

We found the bathroom a little confrontational as there was no door separating the bedroom and the bathroom and you could see directly into the shower from the bed. No privacy at all. Would have been okay if the shower screen had a film over it. We ended up not having a shower and leaving early to get home. I would stay again, but will request a room with a private bathroom. The late night barman and security man were weird.

A magnificent, historic hotel in the heart of Ballarat. Incredible interior decorating and attention to detail.

The room was gorgeous apart from being too dimly lit. One light globe was not working on the main triple bulb pendant light. No guest wants to be literally stumbling around in the gloom. It was very hard to read the evacuation chart on the back of the door. The amazing bathroom did have bright lighting and I had the door open to it with the light on while in the room. The other negative aspect was the piped rock music in the corridors and almost blaring on the lobby level. Not everyone wants to stay in a beautiful and historic hotel, only to have theirs nerves jarred in the lobby by KISS screaming 'I was made...', etc.

Location was perfect - centrally located and everything was a short drive away. Hotel is beautiful - the foyer has a warm inviting feel to it when you walk in - my room had everything I needed and extremely comfortable. Pillows are really nice and soft - it's hard to stay awake once your head hits the pillow. Nice clean crisp sheets. There's a nice little couch to sit on to watch TV, although it was comfortable, it was a little too low and hard to get up from. Bathroom nice and clean, good lighting as well. Dont pack your robes, it's provided for you. Shower pressure was perfect. It was nice to go downstairs and able to order coffee late at night and just sit in the foyer and read about the history of the hotel. They make the best coffee...

Characterful, clean, spacious, and quiet. I was upgraded to a suite, which was a lovely surprise. The hotel is a wonderful and quirky historical building, well maintained. The rooms are nicely furnished and evocative of a bygone era of travel - which I enjoyed. Also, this is the first hotel I’ve stayed in with a silent bar fridge (so bonus points for that!)

It was a bit bit chilly overnight, even with the hydronic heating (I found the extra bed blanket in the cupboard for the 2nd night - a pity the guest guide didn’t mention it was there).

It's a proper old-fashioned hotel that's been very nicely renovated to provide all the modern conveniences. Loved the location and the vibe. There's a lift, but I always used the stairs because the staircase is just so cool!

The dining room looked closed and deserted at 7:00am, although it's advertised to be open then. Once I "dinged" the bell at reception to get the attention of a staff member breakfast was quickly served and was delicious. Not a big deal, but it would have been nicer not to have that brief moment of "um... so is the dining room actually open?".

The grandeur of this beautiful old historic heritage building is something truly special. The property is so warm (hydronic heating throughout) and comfortable (even on the chilliest winter's day in Ballarat), and the staff are delightful. The building itself has been sensitively renovated throughout and is meticulously clean. The rooms are aesthetically beautiful in an old-worldly kind of way, big comfortable beds and spotless bathrooms. For anyone interested in Australia's goldrush history, or heritage architecture - this place will make you pee your pants with excitement. There are some lovely common areas for guests to enjoy. The ATrium serves up delicious food, we only had dinner (not breakfast), and the menu and food fabulous. The Corner Bar was a great spot to watch the evening football. A special shout out to staff Tessa and Andrew for going above and beyond - your generosity was the icing on the cake of a fabulous weekend away - thank you. Do go for a wander around this property, there are so many function rooms and spaces to explore ...... and there's the bluestone cellar. Just awe-inspiring!

Staff were just marvellous. I mean exceptional. They were so polite, helpful, friendly, simply marvellous. Service was great. Hotel was maintained/ renovated to exceptional standards. Many or probably most period features were retained, and considering the modern requirements of today, it was modified with the minimum amount of intrusion to its original form. The old lift is magic. If you want to lose yourself in the old world, then this is one of the better options in and around Melbourne. There are others that are dedicated old world, but this is just an option.

It would be better if it were actually 1885.